Making drainage outlets more robust and visible is key to maintaining their effectiveness within all field networks.
Adding additional piping or stonework can help this process significantly. This approach also helps to mark specific drainage outlets.
Other options here include the marking of fence posts adjacent to these features. Some farmers have opted for the planting of daffodils at these locations.
It is then a case of letting nature tell the farmer or contractor the exact location of a drainage outlet.
According to Teagasc soil hydrology specialist, Pat Tuohy, the regular maintenance of field drainage is extremely important:
“If a farmer gauges that the water flow form an outlet pipe is poor, it’s then a case of rodding the outlets with a set of sewer rods.
“More advanced options include the use of jetting systems. These are highly efficient in terms of the material they can remove from a drainage pipe.”
Drainage near watercourses
In cases where drains flow into a watercourse, Tuohy strongly advises that farmers should contact their local fisheries officer prior to any work that is undertaken.
“There are issues that arise if large amounts of sediment are deposited into a water course,” he continued.
“The period May to mid-September is critically important when it comes to not disturbing younger fish.
“Coming in with drain maintenance work every second year is much preferred rather than coming in with a root and branch drainage overhaul very decade or so,” Tuohy said.
Roots of trees can grow into drainage pipes, if they get the opportunity.
“Here again, it’s a case of extending drain outlets so that they are distinct from the bank of the field,” he added.
“This can be done using lengths of concrete pipe or a sewer pipe. Plants should be removed from the vicinity of drainage outlets on a regular basis,” the soil hydrology specialist said.
In cases where there is a risk of sediment reaching a watercourse containing fish, Tuohy advises the construction of a stone bank.
This will act as a trap for silt that may be in the water coming from a drainage system that has been cleaned out.
“But local fisheries officers will be able to give clear advice n the time off drainage works and the mitigation steps that can be taken by the farmer.
“I have found fisheries officers to be very amenable. It is also a positive thing for farmers to have a good relationship with these people,” he explained.
“Where drainage maintenance is concerned, we are talking about straightforward-enough issues. Basically, it comes down to timing and the putting in place of simple mitigation issues that prevent the flow of silt into water courses,” he said.